Five Things About Tony Stark that Pepper
by FantasticJackie
Summary: The human mind reaches out to experience life through five separate senses. It's little wonder then that Pepper Potts is so attuned to the many stimuli of her tantalizing employer. - Title purposely incomplete; FFN doesn't allow the formatting...
1. Prologue

**Five Things About Tony Stark (that Pepper...)**

**Summary:** The human mind reaches out to experience life through five separate senses. It's little wonder then that Pepper Potts is so attuned to the many stimuli of her tantalizing employer.

**AN:** The title is purposely left incomplete as this is from Pepper's 3P somewhat stream-stream-of-consciousness POV, and it just seemed like a sentence she wouldn't complete. Which makes this somewhat of a mystery for y'all to fill in the blank after reading. ;)

**Prologue**

There is a difference between lust and attraction. Unfortunately for Pepper Potts, working for Tony Stark – billionaire genius, previous celebrity playboy, eccentric narcissist, and superhero extraordinaire – had long ago blurred those lines. If only for the integrity of her own careful mind, she preferred to believe that the attraction had preceded the lust. Of course, with the way Tony flaunted his multiple charming assets, if it _hadn't_ happened that way, Pepper justified to herself that it was entirely his fault.

They were on his couch, she flipping through some last minute memos on her PDA and struggling to stay awake as her mind gradually strayed from the work at hand. His arm was loosely slung across her waist, her back securely pressed to his chest, their legs intertwined, and his breath gently ghosting across her neck and ear as he lightly dozed. Up until a few minutes ago, he'd been pestering her while looking over her shoulder, sarcastically commenting on the messages she pulled up. If she had known catching an accounting error would eventually lead to this, she wondered if she would have fought it for all those years. – Well, at least for the past few months.

Giving up for the time being, Pepper gently placed the PDA on the glass coffee table. She momentarily considered dragging him to his bed instead of sleeping on the couch, but quickly discarded the notion at the thought of moving. Instead, she wiggled a little lower and closer, using his arm as a pillow and covering his other arm with her own to grasp his fingers. He grunted softly and tightened his grip on her middle, blindly kissing the top of her head. As she closed her eyes, she couldn't imagine a more complete feeling of contentment, her thoughts drifting.

Pepper was constantly struck by the irony of what had transpired between the two them. She, his severe personal assistant whose greatest fear in employment had been becoming _one of his girls_, had gone and fallen in love with him. Incredibly, in Pepper's mind, despite all manner of emotional barriers to protect his heart, Tony had fallen right along with her. So now here she was, not _one of his girls_, but his _only_ girl, as he took to insisting, in an actual relationship with him. She had gone from one extreme to the other. In addition, she'd never compromised her standards; indeed, he had well surpassed anything she'd ever dreamed he could become.

When Virginia Potts had first arrived at the Stark residence, she'd had illusions of boundaries and privacy. Despite word of mouth and rumors, she had supposed that there would rules and restrictions, forbidden zones, and absolute no-nos. It had lasted that way for the first five minutes.

By the end of the week, she'd been almost everywhere, seen almost everything, and more. – Far more than she'd wanted to see on two separate occasions, which led her to the conclusion that she had better get used to it or quit right then and there.

Week number two ended in her own security passcodes to the house and to the newly developed JARVIS AI computer program Mr. Stark was installing throughout the mansion. By the end of the fourth week, she handled all of her employer's personal details and data, including his social security number.

So it was that Tony Stark's new executive assistant had access to everything in his house except for his workshop.

Three months passed in this fashion, Pepper Potts proving her worth by tripling the record length of employment by any of his previous PAs. Tony found her indispensible and had told her such on one occasion, immediately followed by his marvel at her lack of a sexual harassment lawsuit; she told him she'd truthfully considered it, but had determined she liked her position even if she had to deal with his childish behavior. Peculiar and self-absorbed as he was in public, and even more so in private, she liked her employer, and, more accurately at the time, her job.

"Miss Potts." The disembodied page from the speaker on her desk drew her out of the manila folder she was reading through the next day.

She placed a well-manicured finger on the talk button: "Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Drop what you're doing and come down here."

She blinked and hesitated. Even Obadiah Stane wasn't allowed down there, and he was the closest thing Tony had to a father. The only person she'd ever seen allowed access was Major James Rhodes, or Rhodey as he insisted upon, and it had only happened once.

"Aren't you in your workshop?"

"I trust you." The response was immediate, honest, and direct: a symptom, she'd learned, of his preoccupation. He gave no further explanation, and she'd been too pleased with the declaration to ask. Then, "Get down here. Jarvis is holding the door open."

Most of the novelty wore off over the years. Tony was always developing something new, something fascinating, something that would revolutionize the world. Eventually she gave up her mental blinders to not look for his sake and took him at his word for his faith in her. Sometimes it was impossible not to be amazed, and other times, her amazement was 180 degrees the opposite of awe. About the same time he began to insist she call him Tony, she began to come down to the workshop uninvited. He didn't mind; he merely required she change her entry PIN every thirty days and instructed Jarvis to positively ID her first before admittance.

It was a slow but steady progression from employer & employee to friendship. For Pepper, things may have progressed a little beyond that, but she refused to allow herself to ponder the possibility. Instead, she became accustomed to his flippant flirtation, his quick sarcastic wit, the self-destructive habits that underscored his loneliness, his understated brilliance, his habitual irresponsibility: in short, his ignoble quirks along with the hidden, sweet temperament which underlied most of his actions. She became accustomed to Tony Stark, and in light of that did the best she could as a warm-blooded, first and foremost professional, female.

Of course, as previously mentioned, there's a difference between lust and attraction, and when it came to Tony Stark, that distinction was really just a fine line. Like their position at the present moment: as he exhaled again pleasantly tickling the hairs at the base of her neck, she wondered which she felt for him now.

Distraction had been inevitable. The truth was that over the years, there really were so many things to notice about Tony that… well, to put it mildly, that Pepper liked. (Okay, extremely mildly.) They were things that, if she hadn't been so stubbornly professional, she might have caught onto quicker. She could hardly categorize everything she'd noticed about him, even with her very considerable organizational skills as she wavered in and just outside consciousness, but there were off hand a few favorites…

_TBC..._

**AN:** Most of these chapters are almost or already completed. This will be the first fic I'm actually _consistent_ in updating...!

**Chapter 1 Teaser:** _Pepper never tired of the novelty that was seeing him sprawled underneath the hot rod. Or any car, for that matter, but it was usually the hot rod. Half of him was usually missing, but something about Tony Stark being left to the imagination really did it for Pepper – especially when he was right in front of her._


	2. Sight

**Five Things About Tony Stark (that Pepper...)**

**THANKS: **Thanks for all the favorites and alerts, guys! I hope to live up to your expectations!**  
AN:** So you know that place between consciousness and sleep? That's where Present-Time Pepper will be for the next 5 chapters…

**I. Sight**

It was difficult, of course, to have an attractive boss. Especially one who relentlessly flirted and tossed about lewd invitations with the reliability of excessive government spending: prompt, fleeting, expected, and increasingly obscene. – It was Tony's description, not her own, but she had thought it surprisingly astute. That he was ignorant of his debauched standards of behavior certainly could not be argued.

Pepper's abhorrence for his lacking moral values were at strange odds with her attraction to him. She had to admit he was easy on the eyes, and that probably really was the explanation for it all. She couldn't help it, and he being quite the charmer he was certainly didn't help matters. People thought his public persona was irresistible, but few of them actually _knew_ him as she did. So it was that the quiet thread of possessive pride she felt when she would pointedly recall the very short time the women would occupy Mr. Stark's attentions was never, ever acknowledged for what it might mean.

There were coping mechanisms, of course, to deal with her striking employer: avoidance, denial, mental prep-talks and scolding, the goal posts of an action plan, and finally, secret indulgence. It was, she would commonly reason to herself, only fair considering the frequency of Stark's not-at-all secret _indulgence_ of her own figure. There was nothing wrong with two adults platonically admiring each other.

Not that he was _remotely_ concerned with maintaining platonic boundaries. Compared to Tony, she was completely innocent in the entire arrangement.

She would give in to herself sparingly and only when she was certain he wouldn't notice. There were cardinal rules established, so as to ensure that she would never make this allowance into more than it ever should be. All in all, it worked well for her, and while some things would strike her at the most inopportune moments, others became practically habitual.

For instance, Pepper never tired of the novelty that was seeing him sprawled underneath the hot rod. Or any car, for that matter, but it was usually the hot rod.

Bent over the hood with his arms deep inside the engine had its own appeal, as did his silent concentration as he considered complex blueprints and detailed illustrations, but she much preferred it when he was reclined on his creeper. He somehow managed to be taut and relaxed, focused and lazy. Half of him was usually missing, but something about Tony Stark being left to the imagination really did it for Pepper – especially when he was right in front of her.

He was always distracted by the hot rod. It absorbed his every thought, so it gave Pepper the rare opportunity to simply look at him. –Or rather to take prolonged peeks from behind her clipboard-later-PDA, as she always tried to maintain a level of inconspicuous discretion in case he happened to suddenly pop out and catch her in the act.

She preferred him in jeans at these times, which was usually the case. His legs spread slightly, one knee bent and booted foot finding purchase on the ground as he angled himself to reach a distant component while the other leg remained mostly straight and dangled casually off the creeper. Occasionally she was treated by his capricious fitted t-shirts to a sliver of flat stomach or turned, toned back.

"Like what you see, Potts?" he asked her in a strained voice on one such occasional afternoon.

While curious as to how he'd known she'd been looking or if he was just guessing, she answered without missing a beat, "I've always liked the car, Mr. Stark. Could you come out of there? I need you to sign a few things." Alas, all good things must come to an end.

A moment later, a resounding mechanical snap echoed through the garage. He lied still, examining his find and remaining underneath the car, giving Pepper one last opportunity for a lingering glance. Then he rolled himself to peer at her around the tire with a crooked, smug smile. Black smudges and grease smears covered his face, and his hair was a little more wild than usual.

"There are only three," she promised him.

"Jarvis," he said while standing, car part in hand, and reaching for a dirty rag.

"Yes sir?" the computerized voice of the AI answered.

He wiped his hands and face with the rag. Then he looked to his ever patient assistant. "Was Pepper ogling me again just now?"

She reeled. "_Again?_ What do you mean- When did I- Wait. Jarvis, don't-"

Too late. "Judging by the frequent prolonged glances, slight dilation in her pupils, minimal increase in heart rate, subtle change in breathing pattern, and tilt of her head to maximize the optimal angle by which to watch you, in my estimation, Miss Potts was indeed ogling you, sir."

Tony's eyebrows hopped. "All that for only half of me?"

She sputtered, feeling her face warm. "You had Jarvis _monitoring my vitals?_" Strategy called for: deflection.

"I don't mind, of course," he continued undeterred while at the same time, Jarvis intoned a polite apology. "How often do you enjoy these peep shows? That's what I want to know."

"_You_ don't mind? _I_ mind!"

"What? Being caught?" Tony waved a dismissive hand. "Don't change the subject, Potts."

"I _will_ change the subject!" she blustered. "How dare- That is- I cannot believe-"

"Pepper!" he said over her. "Just admit it: you think I'm hot."

Her nostrils flared. "I will not admit anything of the sort."

He grinned. "But you won't deny it."

"I-!" She blinked. – Stupidly, if a blink could be characterized as such.

His quiet chuckles quickly became wholehearted laughs when she continued to stutter. When he recovered himself, he invited her to _take advantage_ of him whenever she pleased, and if she would, please, inform him of the _all_ vivid details after she had her mental wicked way with him.

It was one of the few times that Pepper left without obtaining the signatures she needed. The glass door had swung behind her, the Motley Crue blaring right over whatever other tasteless suggestions he had intended to tell her.

And so, at three years of employment, Tony Stark knew that Pepper Potts was physically attracted to him. Ignoring that he would from then on attempt to use that knowledge to his advantage, it was completely harmless. After all, every woman on the face of the planet was physically attracted to Tony Stark: it didn't mean anything. Or so she had thought.

Most of the time, Tony handled this reticent revelation of his PA's _opinion_ surprisingly well. While it may have been his familiarity with women fawning over him in comparison to Pepper's reserved appreciation, Pepper had preferred to believe, for undeclared reasons, that he respected her enough to care. She put stock in this explanation for more than tacit optimism, however: for once in his life, he began to exercise self control.

As contrary as it seemed to Pepper, the fallout was far more positive for their relationship than negative. She had expected him to become even more forward around her, and though she hadn't been wrong in that expectation, she _had_ misjudged his character. Tony, being Tony, always pushed the boundaries, but after the initial relentless, obligatory teasing, he began to take cues from her reactions. Not nearly as often as she would have liked, to be sure, but enough to be noticed. Sometimes, he would even stop himself, and if ever he took things too far or made her too uncomfortable, she would simply catch his eyes.

Hindsight being 20/20, she should have considered his possible reasons for these changes more deeply. But then at the time, she really wasn't considering anything.

She became increasingly adept at nonverbal communication with her employer as the years went by. It was far from one-sided, oblivious as he sometimes liked to pretend he was: he became just as fluent as she. When Rhodey casually remarked one day that Pepper knew and read Tony better than anyone, she _may_ have gone home and panicked over all the potential implications. Of course the next day, she convinced herself that it was merely the predictable result of spending so many hours around each other; she should have anticipated it, really.

It wasn't until some years into her position that she noticed her affinity for his eyes. But even that she explained away through the then-acceptable "unique communicative understanding" she had with her boss: she was only ensuring she understood exactly what he meant. Pepper would never be so stereotypical as to _fall into their mahogany depths,_ and get _lost in his soul_, or some equally garish explanation. How cliché and girlish!

Always, she ignored the little thrill in her chest when he made a point to find her in a crowd – for a quickly motioned reminder, to see her reaction, to share a private joke, or even for her reassurance – telling herself it was nothing more than the same passing lust other women experienced in his presence. Never mind that it was consistent rather than fleeting or that lust actually had very little to do with it. In this single avenue, she intentionally did not allow herself to rationally consider the facts.

Truthfully, it was as though for seven years, Pepper Potts indulged her eyes and very little else.

_TBC…_

**AN:** The roller things that go under cars are seriously called creepers. When I found this out, I had but one question: _Really,_ guys? That's what you manly men came up with?

Also, regarding the opening of this chappie being political, I took my cues from both movies in which Tony _does_ espouse some conservative viewpoints. Just staying with the character, not bashing y'all over the head with political overtones. … But do GO VOTE! ;)

**Chapter 2 Teaser:** _Of all the places in his house, the only room in which she felt uncomfortable was his bedroom. Even so, she was no stranger to it, and despite being a perfect stranger to the room's centerpiece, she was also no stranger her boss's scantily clad body, wrapped in a towel or less. – In fact, in a towel was how she had run into him upon arrival on her third day…_


	3. Smell

**AN:** This meanders a lot like the last one… Any confusion herein might be attributable to more insight than anyone would like as to how _my_ mind works, but the threads that connect things in our minds are rarely concrete enough to explain to others.

**THANKS:** A big thanks goes to the ladies of **the_rightwriter** on LJ who helped me tremendously with the opening of this chapter a while back. Their insight spread through the rest of the fic, as well. ALSO thank you's to y'all here who reviewed, favorited, and alerted: I got rather wrapped up in the elections this week (it's like my super bowl!) so I'll be around replying today and tomorrow.

**II. Smell**

Stillness was unnatural; it gave way to contemplation, allowed her to notice the little things and question established truths. As such, Pepper usually didn't pay any thought to breathing; the constant hustle and bustle in which she _existed_ didn't give her time to pause.

Nevertheless, she was without fail vaguely aware of every breath when she entered his room. It was as though she had to be sure she capitalized on the opportunity to be surrounded by his scent without the odor of oil, chemicals, or soldered metal. The thing was Pepper never actually paid attention to her focus on this pattern in the grand scheme of things; it simply was.

Of all the places in his house, the only room in which she felt uncomfortable was his bedroom. Even so, she was no stranger to it, and despite being a perfect stranger to the room's centerpiece, she was also no stranger her boss's scantily clad body, wrapped in a towel or less. – In fact, in a towel was how she had run into him upon arrival on her third day: he'd had an idea while in the shower and was rushing down to the workshop to jot it down.

Of course, the towel had only been resting on his shoulders, and she'd caught a wide-eyed glimpse of two firm cheeks before hurriedly covering her eyes and shouting his name.

"Oh, Miss Potts." From the direction and volume of his voice, she was well aware that he had just turned to face her. "Right on time. What on earth are you doing?"

Here she was, in her employer's house with her employer standing before her… well… stark naked. Pun intended, because she had to believe that she'd one day look back on this moment and find it hysterical.

"Mr. Stark!" she repeated, imagining that her face was quite red. "I realize this is your home, but when I'm here, I would _please_ entreat you to be decent!"

He was indignant: "Miss Potts! I'm _more_ than decent! Go on. Take a peek."

"Put. On. Some. Clothes!" she ground out between clenched teeth. It was the first time she aggressively, angrily ordered him; she would be used to it by Friday.

"No can do, Pepper."

"That's not my name."

But he ignored her as he had since bestowing the nickname on her last week – part of the contract, he'd insisted. "I would, except I've just come up with the most brilliant prototype-"

"If you don't at least put on some pants, I will walk out the door _right now_-"

"If you do, could you bring me back a cheeseburger? A cheeseburger sounds really good right now." His voice turned toward the stairwell, toward his workshop. "Just grab something from my closet and leave it on the top step. I promise to be fully clothed when you see me next."

It was her turn to be indignant. As soon as she heard the last of his clapping barefoot steps retreating below, she stalked to his bedroom muttering to herself the entire way. Had he timed that stunt to sync with her arrival? She certainly had expected eccentricities and improper behavior from Tony Stark, but she hadn't- He'd left the shower running. Why was she surprised?

When she stepped into the thick fog that was his bathroom, she caught whiff of his shampoo, and coming closer to the shower itself, his soap. – She reached in to turn off the faucet. – Correction: Body wash, not soap. Well, well, well. Tony Stark used a loufa.

On the counter neatly arranged was a variety of aftershaves, colognes, and hair care products, all of which she would eventually learn to recognize. His closet was arranged neatly, as were his drawers, (She couldn't believe she was handling her boss's underwear; she'd had half a mind to make him go commando, except she hadn't been sure how that would have turned out seeing as how they were still becoming acquainted to each other.) both smelling of fresh, clean detergent and Downey softener.

He was not married to any particular brand and changed somewhat frequently throughout the years. There was a common thread through each fragrance, though she never allowed herself to consider it long enough to put a finger on it.

Despite his philanderer remarks, Tony respected Pepper enough to avoid Day #3 scenarios as much as possible. But sometimes, it just couldn't be helped.

Frequently, his states of undress during which she was present were when she helped him get dressed. She became a make-up artist to hide scrapes and bruises he received while working below, hovering just beside his face, accidentally catching the trail of his latest shampoo. She often tied his ties, and if she sometimes performed the loops and knots more slowly than others, it never crossed her mind to attribute her sluggishness to a particular cologne. When he was running later than usual, she occasionally stood in his room, back to him, and briefed him on what he needed to know, surrounded by the unique blend of aromas that were distinctly Tony Stark.

_Inhale, exhale._ Aware, always aware in the back of her mind, of each and every breath.

Considering her relative ignorance to this accidental habit, she was mildly surprised to learn that she had become so accustomed to it. When she dreamed of him in her most vivid nighttime reveries, her mind conjured his scent to impress his being so much more acutely, to make it that much more wrenching when she awoke to the cruel reality of his absence. She was a glutton for punishment, adamantly insisting upon his return and maintaining the status quo all the while attempting to ignore her guilty conscience of still taking a paycheck.

She was, after all, doing it for Tony and not the paycheck. But the paycheck was the only one present whereas the person she was being paid to assist was kidnapped, missing, tortured, and possibly (or so the military insisted) dead. Rumors ran amok, her reputation, and by extension Happy Hogan's whom she had refused to let go, tarnished and contaminated by suspicion of corruption, breach of contract and trust, and general indolence. She ignored them: the board and Obadiah Stane were running a corporation without its CEO and prized prodigy, so she would continue to run the life of her abducted employer. If only to maintain a level of professional propriety, if not to continue paying her own bills, she continued to take her paycheck, because Mr. Stark was her employer, and therefore the work she did were the ends of a loyal and dutiful employee.

Really, it didn't matter that she would keep his affairs in order while he was away without any compensation out of simple concern for his well-being. That's all it was: concern.

So she passed by his room, once and then twice. Always there was the hesitation. Then she'd clutch the knob, press inside, and stand in the doorway.

Pepper breathed. She stared blankly ahead into the room she'd personally made up two and a half months ago, inhaled deeply.

In the still silence, she considered again that she might be in love with him.

TBC...

**AN:** The implication being here, if not clearly defined, that while he's been gone, she's been pondering the possibilities of her attachment to him rather than running away from it like in the last chapter.

**Next Chapter Teaser:** After his return from Afghanistan, Tony's flirtations with Pepper became increasingly personal. It wasn't so much that his previous advances hadn't been beforehand, but they could be resembled to a shotgun approach. Upon his return, he was preoccupied with a different goal of response from Pepper.


End file.
